What is Living Fence?
It’s a barrier made from living plants like shrubs, trees, or vines instead of traditional materials like wood or metal. These fences look natural and blend into the environment, making them a beautiful and green choice for your yard.
Hedge Fence
A hedge fence is a type of living fence made from plants that are grown close together to form a thick, continuous line. These fences are great for privacy, security, and adding beauty to your property.
They are usually made from plants that can be easily trimmed to look neat. Common plants for hedge fences include boxwood, privet, holly, yew, and some types of conifers. These plants have dense leaves, making them good at blocking views and creating a solid barrier. You can make your hedge fence as tall or as thick as you need.
A tall bamboo hedge is a perfect idea as bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants in existence and is extremely low maintenance, so it will create a lush fence very fast.
Forsythia is a fast-growing plant that makes an excellent hedge, it will mesmerize you with its bright small yellow flowers every spring.
Its large, leathery, dark green, glossy leaves and clusters of extremely fragrant, small, white flowers, completely covering the plant in springtime attract birds and butterflies.
Beech is perfect for fences because of its excellent foliage of green leaves turning golden brown in autumn. It's easy to grow in the sun and partial shade and is tolerant of a large range of soils.
There are a few different types of Azaleas that make good hedges and all of them show off incredible bold blooms.
Photinia is another popular hedging plant that will add a pop of color to your garden with its brilliant red shoots, and it's perfect for high hedging.
Pyracantha is an evergreen option to consider. It works perfect in hedging or an informal border. The bright berries attract birds.
Ceanothus can be trained to cover walls and fences, providing an attractive backdrop for other plants, an effective screen or a feature in itself.
A tough, long-blooming shrub, potentilla produces yellow, creamy-white or orange flowers throughout the summer. It's heat and drought tolerant.
Camellia is one of the few flowering hedge plants that will bloom in the winter. It is also evergreen and tall so it makes a perfect privacy screen.
Weigela is a low maintenance plant that will tolerate most soils as long as they are well-drained and makes a neat bright hedge along a fence line.
Because of their beautiful flowers and long blooming season, roses are another of the most popular shrubs with gardeners.
Sasanquas are a traditional favorite sure to add elegance to any garden, their gorgeous flowers are on display from autumn to winter and come in different shades of white, pink or red. Camellia sasanqua is one of the best evergreen ornamentals for achieving the goal of privacy but also providing beauty for your garden.
Plumbago is a rapid-growing drought and salt-tolerant shrub bloom all year round in hot climates and looks very beautiful adding a touch of color to the garden.
A deer-resistant and drought-tolerant shrub, oleander is known for its colorful and fragrant clusters of blooms that thrive through most of the growing season. Keep it away from pets and children as it's quite poisonous.
Burning Bush will not only create a jaw-dropping look, it also provides small fruits that are popular with numerous species of birds, which will enliven your garden.
Escallonia is a perfect hedge plant that is evergreen and a relatively fast grower, and its bold blooms will catch an eye.
Bridal Wreath Spirea features a ‘fountain-like’ shape. There is nothing as majestic as the gorgeous white double blooms draping to the ground and covering the entire row of bushes.
Lilacs come in all shades of pink and purple, are fragrant, grow fairly rapidly, which makes them perfect for creating fences. For a cuter look and more privacy, you may pair them up with a usual fence.
Pittosporum is quite fast-growing and very versatile: you can give it a lot of shapes. A hedge of pittosporums will generally grow as tall and dense as you allow.
Cotoneaster provides excellent options for privacy borders or formal hedging. Dense and good looking, these grow quickly to provide a screen and provide interest with blossom and red berries.
Hawthorn is a useful option for a mixed privacy hedge. Young leaves and flower buds can be eaten and are also tender enough to use in salads.
There are many hydrangeas of various heights that would make good flowering hedge plants. Hydrangeas are loved for an easy care, attractive, green hedge with huge, white (or pink) flowers.
Some traditional hollies provide spiky leaves which can enhance garden security, and red berries in winter for a bolder look.
Yew is a great hedge plant, though it's quite slow-growing, it doesn't require frequent pruning and is low-maintenance on the whole.
Privet grows rapidly in the sun to partial shade, it's is tolerant of alkaline soils, pollution, dry conditions, and it is cold hardy.
Boxwood is an evergreen that features dense, dark green foliage and grow to a moderate height, perfect for a natural boundary fence. More than that, you may give boxwood a fancy shape if you want.
Laurel is very popular living fence plant because it's easy to grow, thriving even in full shade. It also grows fast, which makes it an economical choice if you want a high hedge.
With attractive foliage and sweetly scented blossoms, this shrub adds both beauty and fragrance to the landscape without overwhelming the space.
Tree Fences
Tree fences are made from closely planted trees to create a natural boundary. These fences are strong, long-lasting, and environmentally friendly.
Common trees used for tree fences include willow, cypress, hornbeam, and fruit trees like apple or pear. These trees grow quickly and densely, forming a thick barrier. As they grow, their branches intertwine, creating a solid fence.
Abrorvitae is a popular hedging or border plant for privacy. While this plant can be a good choice for privacy in certain situations, it should be used with caution and could easily get out of control in smaller spaces.
Hornbeam tolerates a wide range of soil conditions as long as the soil is well-drained. It grows best under full sun and you can prune or hedge it as desired.
Juniper will cover any area fast, there are many species in different colors, from green, golden to blue. All have beautiful feathery and fragrant foliage.
Vine Fences
Vines like ivy or climbing roses can be trained to grow on a structure like a trellis or fence. They create a beautiful, green barrier that can also produce flowers, adding color and fragrance to your yard.
Willow Fences
Willows are flexible and can be woven together to create a living fence. This type of fence can be very attractive and is often used in natural or rustic garden designs. Willow fences can also be shaped and molded as they grow.
Bamboo Fences
Bamboo grows quickly and forms a tall, dense barrier. It’s great for privacy and can add an exotic look to your garden. Bamboo is also very strong and can withstand harsh weather conditions.
Living Fence Advantages
Living fences help block strong winds, creating calm areas behind them. This is very useful in places where wind can damage plants and buildings.
While these fences may take some time to grow, they can be more cost-effective in the long run compared to traditional fences.
Living fences are very pretty and change with the seasons. They blend in with nature, making your yard look charming and peaceful. Unlike regular fences that can look stiff and artificial, living fences create a pretty and peaceful scene with their lush leaves, bright colors, and different textures.
These fences bring in birds, butterflies, and other animals, making your garden lively and interesting. Watching these animals can be fun and relaxing.
Living fences give you privacy and help reduce noise. They create quiet, hidden spots in your yard where you can relax without being seen. This makes it easier to enjoy activities like lounging, dining, or playing in your yard.
They are quite flexible and can be customized to fit any landscape design. You can choose plants that match the style of your garden, whether it’s modern, traditional, or rustic. They can also be shaped and trimmed to create unique designs and patterns.
Pampas grass is a fast-growing drought-tolerant plant that grows and flowers, it's a low-maintenance plant, deer tolerant, safe for pets.
A tall cactus fence is a cool out-of-the-box idea for a hot or desert climate. It looks spectacular and is quite easy to grow, and such a hedge will give you a lot of privacy.
Disadvantages of Living Fences
Living fences need time to grow big and strong. Unlike regular fences that work right away, these might take a few years to be effective.
You have to take care of a living fence. This means watering, trimming, and sometimes fertilizing the plants. It can take a lot of time and effort.
Plants need space to grow. Their roots can spread out and might get in the way of other plants or things in your yard.
Plants can get pests or diseases. You’ll need to check on them regularly and maybe use treatments to keep them healthy.
Some plants lose their leaves in the winter, so the fence might not work as well all year round.
Plants might not all grow the same way. Some might grow faster or taller than others, making the fence look uneven.
Many plants need a lot of water, especially when they are new.
Some plants can spread too much and take over other parts of your garden or even your neighbor’s yard.